After Haven
by KittyHawk56
Summary: Myfanwy Lavellan has survived the destruction of Haven, but will she make it through the storm and find her way home? DAI one-shot.


Cold, biting and bitter, and a strange muffled silence greeted Myfanwy when she awoke. She was, all things considered, surprised to wake up at all. Avalanches are hard to outrun, even for a Dalish elf. The floor she lay on was slick and damp, ice maybe? When she opened her eyes they were greeted by an oppressive gloom, the mark on her hand the only source of light.

Slowly, she sat up, wincing when the motion made her head pound. She gingerly reached up and prodded the side of her head with a finger, frowning when she encountered a knot right above the tip of her ear, and another, caked with blood, at the back of her head. Vague memories of being thrown against a trebuchet by a corrupted magister swam before her eyes, but everything after was a blur.

Fear took hold of her, the thought of being buried under tons of snow, slowly suffocating, made her chest tighten. Hands shaking, she cast a mage light, desperate to see where she was. Pain lanced through her head as the light blossomed from her fingertips, and she cried out, shying away from the brilliant light. Tears sprang unbidden to her eyes when the sharp movement sent another stab of pain through her head, and she whimpered softly.

Several shaky breaths later, Myfanwy cautiously opened her eyes again. The light still hurt, but she expected it this time and pushed through the pain. When her eyes were adjusted, she glanced around.

The space was not as she had feared, though everything was covered in ice. Behind her was what looked to be the remnants of a dock and her staff lay in pieces. Ahead, a tunnel, half blocked by fallen chunks of ice. She remembered commander Cullen saying something about the area being riddled with secret tunnels, and guessed she had fallen into one.

Hoping the tunnel ahead led out, and not deeper underground, Myfanwy cautiously stood. Her vision swam for a moment, and she almost fell, managing to catch herself against a wall. She cursed under her breath, waiting for the world to stop spinning before moving again. She wished, not for the first time, that her training as First to the Keeper had covered some healing magic. Making it out of this tunnel with a concussion was not going to be easy.

She took slow, deliberate steps, leaning against the wall as she walked, but even moving as slowly as she did, stars danced before her eyes. She only made it a few yards before her stomach revolted. Retching, she fell to her knees, shaking and crying by the time her stomach finally settled again. Her head felt as though it were going to burst, and she wanted nothing more than to lay down and press her face to the cool ice.

She actually considered doing just that, when her stubborn pride reared up. If she fell asleep here, she would die, far from the friendly light of the stars, and that thought was enough to force her into action. If she was going to die, dammit, she was going to do so under the open sky, not buried here beneath the earth. With clenched teeth and shaking legs she stood and forced herself to continue.

She lost track of time as she plodded onward, concentrating on nothing but putting one foot in front of another. Fortunately the tunnel had no branches, and ran a fairly straight course. If there had been any twists, she surely would have been lost beyond all hope. As it was, she barely managed to stumble her way out.

Night had fallen while she fought her way through the icy tunnel, and a strong wind was blowing, filling the air with snow and cutting visibility down to nothing. Even the best tracker would have trouble finding their way through such a storm, and she was no hunter. She had no idea how long she had lain unconscious, nor how long she had been walking. For all Myfanwy knew, she'd been there for a day, or more. With this storm, she wasn't even sure which way the people of Haven might have gone.

Heart sinking, she faltered, afraid to go on. The wind buffeted her about, icy fingers working their way through the damp material of her coat. Her mage light flickered feebly, and went out, plunging the world into gloom. She tried to cast it again, but found she had no strength for even so small a spell. She sank to the floor of the tunnel, gazing dazedly out at the swirling snow, unable to go on.

The cold sank into her bones, but she found she didn't mind as much as she should have. It worried her, but only for a moment. She was distracted by the swirling shapes in the snow, her bewildered eyes trying to catch shapes and patterns in the shifting wall of white. A wolf howled in the distance, the sound lonely, and briefly she wondered if perhaps the wolf was lost as well.

She had no idea of how long she sat at the entrance of the tunnel, staring into to the night. Occasionally the wolf-song wound it's way through the trees, sometimes closer, sometimes farther, the only sound besides the whistling of the wind.

Wearily, Myfanwy leaned her back against the wall, not caring when the ice melted and soaked into her clothing, and not bothering to brush the strands of dark hair out of her face as the wind whipped them into her eyes. She was just about to close her eyes and give in to the fatigue when a dark shape moved against the shifting snow. She watched through half closed eyes, unsure whether her mind was playing tricks or not.

A great wolf loomed out of the swirling, dancing snow, black against the darkness, eyes glowing menacingly. It's head was hung low, and it prowled forward, towards the concussed elf. It stopped a couple feet from her, ears pricked forward, watching, waiting for her to make some move.

All Myfanwy could do was stare dumbfounded and the immense, shaggy beast, her frozen brain unable to comprehend the truth of what stood before her. The wolf moved closer, whining softly and jamming it's nose into her chest when she didn't react. It circled around and shoved it's nose against her back with a soft huff. Teeth the length of her little finger closed gently around her arm, and the wolf gave the elf a tug, taking a step back and narrowing its eyes when she didn't move.

"I did not find you only to lose you again, Da'len". The voice slipped through her mind briefly, familiar, though she could not place it, and she let out a startled gasp.

"who…"

The wolf wrinkled its lip in a snarl and lunged. She scrambled away from the beast, making it to her feet before it reached her. The sudden change in elevation caused black spots to dance in her vision, and she faltered, stumbling back to her knees. A whimper escaped her throat as the impact jarred her already aching head, and the world faded momentarily.

Next thing she knew, she was laying in the tunnel, the wolf licking her face. Somehow, she got the feeling that the wolf was incredibly worried about her, and she batted its nose out of her face. It sneezed and sat back on its haunches, waiting for her to stir herself. Cautiously she sat up, moving slowly to avoid passing out again.

"Who are you", she asked the wolf. There was a thought in the back of her mind, but dazed as she was, she couldn't quite grasp it.

The wolf laid its ears back, and that voice slipped through her mind again. "A question for another time, Da'len. Perhaps when you are no longer freezing to death". There was a hint of amusement carried there, and an undercurrent of worry. She wondered why this strange creature was worried about her, but didn't have the time to voice the thought before it stood again.

"Come" the voice was commanding, and she was halfway to her feet without realizing. The blackness started creeping into the edges of her vision, and she faltered again. The wolf moved swiftly, giving her a chance to catch herself on its back. She buried her hands thankfully into the warm ruff at its neck, and the wolf leaned against her quietly, lending its strength and warmth to the elvhen woman. They stood there for a moment, then the voice whispered across her mind again, "Come, Da'len".

They moved as one, the giant wolf leading the way through the storm. She stumbled through the snow, sinking up to her knees in some places, but always with one hand threaded through the fur of the ever patient wolf.

She did not know how long they traveled, nor how far, only that when the wolf finally slipped from her grasp, the wind had stopped and she could see fires burning in the distance. Without the support of the wolf, Myfanwy sank to her knees, unable to take another step. She glanced at the place the wolf had been, only to find undisturbed snow. Confused, she cast a look behind herself, seeing only one set of footprints.

She tried to struggle onto her feet, but the snow was too deep, and she had no strength left. Voices reached her ears, sweet as any music.

"There she is"!

Commander Cullen came into view, and Myfanwy's tired body finally gave up. As she blacked out again, she thought she caught sight of an enormous black wolf, just over the hill.


End file.
